An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle struck enemy combatants with a 500-pound laser-guided bomb and Hellfire missiles May 15 in the vicinity of Sangin, Afghanistan, Air Forces Central announced May 16. In Nangalam, an F-15E hit an enemy combatant fighting position with a 500-pound joint direct attack munition. Also on May 15, Royal Air Force GR9 Harriers fired rockets onto enemy combatants in the vicinity of Sangin, AFCENT said.
General Atomics, the maker of one of the Air Force’s first Collaborative Combat Aircraft, has ambitious plans for its family of semi-autonomous drones beyond the FQ-42, including a flying-wing aircraft capable of carrying out both reconnaissance and strike missions. Meanwhile, the Air Force Research Laboratory announced a new program to…